I have no experience with a wire feed welder, but am getting ready to weld on a 63 SS floor pan. I am wondering what wire most of you use and if anyone has experimented with different types of wire such as a stainless, as well as brands. My welder was supplied with a spool of .024 HB28 ER70S-6 wire.
Welding panels?
- Thread starter Aqua 409
- Start date
gearhead409
Well Known Member
Aqua, i use Lincoln .025 Super Arc L-56. it complies with ER70S-6 but is for sheet metal only. it grinds well and is soft enough it can be hammered and dollied without cracking.
Aqua 409 said:
Are you cutting a patch or putting in a complete panel section? I am very fussy and didn’t want one of those ugly patch jobs or even a detectable repair on my car. Yesterday, I put in a patch under the rear seat pan that had a 12" rust spot. Used .025 wire with shielding gas, Cut the rot out plus a few more inches. Spent a few hours cutting and grinding a section of a new panel so that it fit exactly in the hole for a butt weld. The trick is to get the patch to fit right. No overlapping or seams over 1/16th inch wide. I welded tiny tabs under to keep it in place and not dropping through while I tacked it in. Just go slow and tack and stitch. Don’t let it get hot. Grind down the weld and if it needs, use a little finish putty before painting. The underside is grinded and finished the same.
Take your time and do it right and it will look just like it did the day it rolled out of the factory.
Hi Ralph,
It sounds like you got your floor fit to the SS!! I would do like the others said. Butt welding is really the best and gives the opportunity to grind the area completely smooth. Thats what I did when I patched up my floor.
You may want to practice a little bit to get the feel so you know you're getting good penetration. My welding instructor always said that when you pull the trigger it should sound like bacon frying! In other words, just an even sizzle with no popping.
I'm not sure how you are installing the floor, but you'll most likely need to use a plug weld. It is the perfect way to recreate the spot welds that are used all along the outter edge of the floor panel and elsewhere. Its basically two pieces of metal sandwiched on top of each other with the exception that the top piece has a hole drilled in it (I used 3/8" holes). Just start your bead on the outter edge of the circle and spiral in towards the center, making a continuous bead. A very strong weld that looks great!
I would also use some 3M weld-through primer. Its great for what you'll be doing. Just shake it VERY, VERY well and keep the spray tip clean. Its about $20 per can but well worth it.
Best of luck!!
Ross
It sounds like you got your floor fit to the SS!! I would do like the others said. Butt welding is really the best and gives the opportunity to grind the area completely smooth. Thats what I did when I patched up my floor.
You may want to practice a little bit to get the feel so you know you're getting good penetration. My welding instructor always said that when you pull the trigger it should sound like bacon frying! In other words, just an even sizzle with no popping.
I'm not sure how you are installing the floor, but you'll most likely need to use a plug weld. It is the perfect way to recreate the spot welds that are used all along the outter edge of the floor panel and elsewhere. Its basically two pieces of metal sandwiched on top of each other with the exception that the top piece has a hole drilled in it (I used 3/8" holes). Just start your bead on the outter edge of the circle and spiral in towards the center, making a continuous bead. A very strong weld that looks great!
I would also use some 3M weld-through primer. Its great for what you'll be doing. Just shake it VERY, VERY well and keep the spray tip clean. Its about $20 per can but well worth it.
Best of luck!!
Ross
Thanks all for the advice. I think I will pick up a small spool of that wire you use Gearhead. I'm going to have to work on the patience bit, Jester when say stitch, is 3/8"-1/2" OK? What I did was get the floor pan from the center of the front seat forward to the toe board pinch weld from a 64 Impala station wagon and intalling it into a 63 SS Hdtp. hopefuly without distrubing the bucket seat mounts much and want it to look like Old Schools. Tic, I hadn't thought about the "blob" factor much. The SS has very heavy undercoating and seam sealant. More scraping! Yea, Ross. Since someone had lifted the car using the rockers for lift points 
: I was hoping to install the floor pan in one piece and make that repair at the same time. Couldn't make it go, so I have the 3/8" holes also. Good call on primer.
Thanks Ralph
: I was hoping to install the floor pan in one piece and make that repair at the same time. Couldn't make it go, so I have the 3/8" holes also. Good call on primer.Thanks Ralph
Jester when say stitch, is 3/8"-1/2" OK?
That's OK if your going floor repairs but if your repairing body panels that's way to much welding . when I say sticth I mean just leave a spot of weld the move away a couple of inches. Bounce around and keep sticthing until you have the whole paneled welded. If you don't , you will whorp the metal. Go slow , keep a bucket of water and a rag to cool the metal handy. Also keep the fire control equipment within arms reach, just in case.
That's OK if your going floor repairs but if your repairing body panels that's way to much welding . when I say sticth I mean just leave a spot of weld the move away a couple of inches. Bounce around and keep sticthing until you have the whole paneled welded. If you don't , you will whorp the metal. Go slow , keep a bucket of water and a rag to cool the metal handy. Also keep the fire control equipment within arms reach, just in case.